Xavier Thomas
 Thomas with the Clemson Tigers in 2019 | |||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | December 20, 1999 Florence, South Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Wilson (Florence) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) | ||||||||
| College | Clemson (2018–2023) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 2024: 5th round, 138th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
* Offseason or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Xavier Thomas (born December 20, 1999) is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers.
Early life
[edit]After playing for three years in Florence, South Carolina at Wilson High School, Thomas played his senior season at IMG Academy in Florida.[1]
College career
[edit]After recording forty-three tackles, three and a half sacks, and two pass breakups in his freshman season, Thomas was named to USA Today's Freshman All-America Team.[1] During the 2019 season, he earned Third Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors after posting 31 tackles, 8 tackles for loss and two sacks. Thomas contracted COVID-19 and strep throat in July 2020, and announced he would redshirt the 2020 season.[2] However, after the NCAA declared that all players could participate in the season without losing a year of eligibility, Thomas decided to play, despite missing summer workouts.[3] On October 31, 2020, Thomas was ejected for targeting Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec. He missed the first half of the following game against Notre Dame.[4]
College statistics
[edit]| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Solo | Ast | TFL | Sacks | |||
| 2018 | Clemson | 14 | 33 | 18 | 15 | 8.5 | 3.5 |
| 2019 | Clemson | 12 | 27 | 10 | 17 | 8.0 | 1.5 |
| 2020 | Clemson | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| 2021 | Clemson | 11 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 6.5 | 4.5 |
| 2022 | Clemson | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| 2023 | Clemson | 12 | 25 | 16 | 9 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Career | 57 | 116 | 62 | 54 | 33 | 18 | |
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄4 in (1.89 m) | 244 lb (111 kg) | 32+7⁄8 in (0.84 m) | 9+1⁄8 in (0.23 m) | 6 ft 6+1⁄4 in (1.99 m) | 4.56 s | 1.55 s | 2.69 s | 32.5 in (0.83 m) | 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) | 26 reps | ||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[5][6][7] | ||||||||||||
Arizona Cardinals
[edit]Thomas was selected in the fifth round (138th overall) of the 2024 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals.[8] He made his NFL debut in Week 1 of the 2024 season against the Buffalo Bills as the Cardinals lost 34-28. In Week 2, Thomas recorded his first NFL tackle in a 41-10 win against the Los Angeles Rams. In Week 9 against the Chicago Bears, he recorded three tackles and 1.5 sacks (the first of his career) in a 29-9 win for the Cardinals. In Week 10, he recorded one tackle, one sack, and the first forced fumble of his career in a 31-6 win against the New York Jets. He finished the season with 10 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a pass deflection in 14 games.
On November 28, 2025, Thomas was waived by the Cardinals.[9]
Houston Texans
[edit]On December 3, 2025, Thomas signed with the Houston Texans' practice squad.[10] On January 20, 2026, he signed a reserve/futures contract with Houston.[11]
On May 13, 2026, Thomas was waived by the Texans with an injury designation.[12]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Xavier Thomas". Clemson Tigers Official Athletics Site. June 29, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ↑ Keepfer, Scott (August 6, 2020). "Clemson football standout Xavier Thomas planning to redshirt 2020 season". The Greenville News. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- ↑ Connolly, Matt (September 25, 2020). "Clemson's Xavier Thomas is ahead of schedule in his comeback from COVID-19". The State. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
- ↑ Gates, Riley (October 31, 2020). "WATCH: Xavier Thomas ejected, will miss first half against ND". 247 Sports. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
- ↑ "Xavier Thomas Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ↑ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Xavier Thomas College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ↑ "Clemson 2024 Pro Day Results". ClemsonTigers.com. March 14, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ↑ Romero, José M. (April 27, 2024). "Xavier Thomas to Cardinals in NFL draft: Instant grade, analysis for 138th pick". azcentral. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
- ↑ Urban, Darren (November 28, 2025). "Cardinals Release Xavier Thomas". AZCardinals.com.
- ↑ "Houston Texans Transactions (12-03-2025)". HoustonTexans.com. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ↑ "Houston Texans Transactions (1-20-2026)". HoustonTexans.com. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Houston Texans Transactions (5-13-2026)". HoustonTexans.com. May 13, 2026. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Xavier Thomas at Wikimedia Commons- Houston Texans bio
- Clemson Tigers bio
